Mechanism for applying elastic gaskets to containers



Aug. 28, 1934.

C J. AULBACH.

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING ELASTIC GASKETS TO CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 16, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l Zhwentor (I ttorneg$ 23, 1934- c. J. AULBACH 1,971,334

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING ELAST IC GASKETS T0 CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 16, 1931 SSheets-Sheet 2 1 mull Fmmunut glllil% n% Killllfl Aug. 28, 1934. c. .1. AULBACH MECHANISM FOR APPLYING ELASTIC GASKETS TO CONTAINERS Filed 001'. 16, 1951 Aug. 28, 1934. c. J.'AULBACH MECHANISM FOR APPLYING ELASTIC GASKETS TO CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 16, 1931 w 1, mm

J ZSnnentor 1934 c. J. AULBACH 1,971,334

MECHANISM FOR APPLYING ELASTIC GASKETS TO CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 16, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 R J4 3nnentor f 4%AM JJ a (lttornegs Patented Aug. 28, 1934 PATENT oFFicE MECHANISM FOR APPLYING" ELASTIC GASKETS TO CONTAINERS Charles J. Aulbach, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc.,' New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 16, 1931, Serial No. 569,339

5 Claims. (01. 113--80) It has been a common practice to apply preformed elastic gaskets to jars and the'like to aid in the hermetic closing of the same. In the sealing of metal cans, elastic gaskets have been 5 used, but the common practice is to apply the sealing material to the metal parts so as to form the gasket on the metal part.

An'object of the present invention is to provide .a mechanism whereby pre-formed elastic 10. gaskets may beplaced on a container part in a predetermined position thereon.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a mechanism whereby pre-formed elastic gaskets having a flat face may be applied to a container 15. part in a predetermined position thereon, and

with said flat face in contact withthe face of the container throughout the entire extent of the gasket.

These and other objects will in part be obvious '20; and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is a side view of a machine to which '25; the invention has been applied;

Fig; 2 is a front view of a partof the machine;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4--4 of L301 Fig. 3; r

Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan view showing in ful lines a rubber band expanded and the container placed to receive the gasket, the container being in section;

parts on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail in vertical section showing the table, the container and the gasket as applied to the container body;

Fig. 8qis a detail in vertical sectionshowing one use of a pre-formed gasket such as may be applied to the container body by the present machine. In this figure, the container closure is in place but has not been sealed to the container,

' and r Fig. 91s a similar view'showing the closure bent or shaped to clamp the gasket and eiTect a sealing of the container.

Theinvention is particularly adapted for the applying of pre-formed elastic gaskets to con- Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the a .body portion 1 in the .wall of which is formed an inwardly bent portion 2 providing a sealing shoulder 3 in. the body wall of the container. Said body wall at the upper end is rolled into ahollow bead 4.. The container is closed by a cover or closure part 5 having a depending flange 6 which is bent inwardly so as to provide a sealing shoulder 7. This closure is secured to the container by. asealing band 8 which overlies the closure, and has a depending vertical flange 9. The gasket for sealing the containers is shown at 10. This gasket, as shown, is substantially rectangular in cross section. It is desired to place the gasket on the container with the flat face 11 thereof contacting with the fiat side wall of the container throughout the entire extent of the gasket. It is also desired that the upper flat face of the gasket shall contact with the under face of the shoulder 3 so that the gasket will be properly positioned for the most efficient sealing of the container. After the closure has been placed on the container, .the sealing band is pressed tightly against the same, and the extreme lower edge is turned under as indicated at 12, into clamping engagement with the under face of the gasket 10. The gasket will be deformed and pressed into tight sealing contact with the sealing shoulder '7 of the closure and also the sealing shoulder 3 of the container. This will tightly seal the only opening possible be tween the container and the atmosphere which is between the flange of the closure and the body i has been described in order that the purpose and .function of the mechanism embodying the invention may be better understood.

The machine for applying the gasket to the container body as illustrated, is a hand-operated machine. The machine consists of a frame structure 13 having a table or top portion 14 rigidly secured thereto. The table 14. is provided with a central sleeve bearing 15 in which is mounted a shaft 16, which. is free to slide endwise in the bearing, but held from rotation by means of a spline l7. Mounted on the upper end of this shaft 16 is a container support 18. Said container support 18 is, formed with a hub 19 which normally rests on the upper face of the table. At this time, the support is spaced above the table. Attached to the lower end of the shaft 16 is a collar 20 which is secured thereto by a nut 21. This collar 20 is provided with pivot pins 22, 22, which are passed through the ends of a yoke 23. The yoke is formed on the end of a lever 24 which is pivoted on a pin 25 carried by a bracket 26. When the outer end of this lever 24 is depressed, the shaft 16 will be raised, lifting the support 18 for the container, and when this lever is released, then the support will move downward to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4. The container body as shown in Fig. 6, is inverted and the portion thereof above-the sealing shoulder 3 is placed in an annular recess 27 formed in the container support l8.v

The means for receiving and expanding the pre-formed gasket consists, as shown in the drawings, of four arms 28, 29, 30 and 31. The

arm 23 at its free end carries a pin 32. This arm 28 is mounted on a vertical shaft 33 which in turn is mounted for oscillation in a bearing sleeve carried by the table l4.- The arm 28 extends underneath the support 18 when said support is in its lowest position. There is a slot 34 in the support 18 through which this pin 32 extends. The slot is shaped about the axis of the shaft 33 as a center, so that the pin may be moved radially of the support back and forth in this slot. The arm 29 is carried by a shaft 35 and is provided with a pin 36 which moves back and forth in a slot 37. The arm 30 is mounted on a shaft 38 and carries a pin 39 movable back and forth in a slot 40. The arm 31 is mounted on a shaft 41 and carries a pin 42 movable back and forth in a slot 43.

Attached to the lower end of the shaft 33 car rying the arm 28 is a segment gear 44. There is a similar segment gear 45 attached to the lower end of the shaft 35, a segment gear 46 attached to the lower end of the shaft 38 and a segment gear 4'7 attached to the lower end of the shaft i1. All of these segment gears mesh with a common gear 48 which is mounted on the sleeve bearing 15 so that it rotates freely about the center of the table. To the lower end of the shaft 35 is attached an arm 49. This arm 49 is pivoted at 50 to a link 51. The link 51 is in turn connected to a rocker 52 which is pivoted at 53 to the frame 13. The rocker is connected by.a link 54 to a treadle 55 which is pivoted at 56 to the frame 13. A spring 57 attached at 58 to the lever 55 and at 59 to the frame 13 normally raises the lever, turning the rocker 52 so as to move the shaft 35 in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3. This moves the pins carried by the arms to the inner ends of the curved slots. This is a normal idle position of the parts. When the treadle is depressed, then these pins will be moved outward to the position shown in Fig. 5. When the pins are at the inner ends of the slots, the pre-formed elastic gasket is placed on the table so as to extend about all of these pins. When the treadle is depressed, the pins engage the elastic gasket at four points, and will expand the gasket into a rectangular figure. The shortest distance across the rectangular figure is greater than the diameter of the annular recess in the container support. The container is then placed on the support in the manner shown in Fig. 6. After the container is placed, the treadle is released, and this will permit the fingers to move into a point where they contact with the container wall. These pins are so proportioned that when lying against the wall of the container, the gasket between the pins will contact with the body wall.

The gasket is preferably rectangular in cross section, and when placed on the support, it will rest on the support on one face only. The pins engage the inner fiat face of the gasket and will expand the same without twisting the gasket. When the pins are moved to the position shown in the broken lines in Fig. 5, this brings the same flat face of the gasket into contact with a por tion of the body wall between the respective pins. The lever 24 is grasped by hand and depressed. This will raise the support for the container and the container. The band also engages the upper face of the support in the region of the pins and will be lifted from the pins which remain in a fixed vertical position. As soon as the band is lifted from the pins, it will at once be contracted against the side wall of the container, and thus the band is placed flat against the wall of the container at a predetermined position thereon. The container is then removed from the support and the operation is completed.

It will be understood that while the invention has been illustrated as embodied in a single station, hand-operated mechanism, the same mechanism may be automatically operated for accomplishing the function stated. While four pins are shown for expanding the gasket, it will be understood that other ways may be devised for expanding the gasket and for placing the fiat face of the gasket in contact with the wall of the container part at a. predetermined position thereon. While the machine as designed operates to place the gasket on the container when it is inverted, it will be obvious that the container may be otherwise positioned at the time when the gasket is applied.

. Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

'1. A gasket applying mechanism comprising a support for a container having a recess adapted to receive the open end of the container, oscillating arms, fingers carried thereby projecting through grooves in the support for the container and movable toward and from the center of the support, said fingers being adapted to receive a pre-formed elastic gasket placed on the support for expanding the same to a minimum diameter greater than the diameter ofthe recess in the support receiving the container, whereby the container may be placed within the expanded gasket and the gasket then released so as to contact with the container, and means whereby said fingers and said support are given a relative movement for stripping the gasket from said fingers on to the container.

2. A gasket applying mechanism comprising means for engaging the open end of a container, arms pivotally supported at different points radially of the container, pins carried thereby for receiving an elastic gasket, means for simultaneously oscillating said arms and moving said pins outwardly radially from the center of the container for expanding the gasket, means for moving said arms in the opposite direction into contact with the wall of the container for placing the gasket in contact with'the container, and means for imparting a relative movement to said pins and said means engaging the container for stripping the gasket from the pins on to the wall of the container.

3. A gasket applying mechanism comprising a member adapted to engage the open end of a container, said member having an annular recess to receive the wall of the container, pins movable 15g radially of said member from a position within said annular recess to a position outside thereof whereby an elastic gasket placed on said pins when contracted may be expanded so as to receive the open end of the container within the gasket, means for moving said pins'inwardly against the wall of the container, and means for moving said pins and member relative to each other in the direction of the length of the wallet the container for stripping the gasket from said pins on to the wall of the container.

4. A gasket applying mechanism comprising a member adapted to engage the open end of a container and having an annular recess receiving the wall of the container, said member having arcuate slots extending from a position outside of said recess to a position within the recess, an arm associated with each slot, a pin carried by the arm and extending through the slot to a point beyond the face of the member containing the recess whereby an elastic gasket may be placed on said pins, means for simultaneously oscillating the arms for expanding the gasket beyond the annular recess so as to receive a container within the gasket, means for returning the pins into contact with the wall of the container, and means for moving the container and member engaging the same relative to the pins for stripping the gasket from the pins.

5. A gasket applying mechanism comprising a support having means for engaging the open end of a container, devices movable toward and from the center of said support, pins carried by said devices for receiving an elastic gasket, means for simultaneously moving said devices and said pins CHARLES J. AULBACH. 

